HIGH FALLS - On May 20, 50-year-old Brian Tate of High Falls was the subject of an FBI investigation alleging that he made...
On May 20, 50-year-old Brian Tate of High Falls was the subject of an FBI investigation alleging that he made a number of threatening posts on X (formerly Twitter) against President Trump and DOGE leader Elon Musk. Documents said that the FBI believes Tate possesses illegal firearms.
In April, Tate responded to a .gif from the movie Scanners of an exploding head with the words “I can do that with a .270 at 300 yards.” References to his .270 rifle pepper the account. “My .270 is ready,” he posted, and last December, under a photo of Elon Musk, “270 in the back of ear from 300 yards.”
Tate is the primary caregiver of three children, including two with special needs. One of his posts was a response to Elon Musk and the Trump administration “declar[ing] war” on Social Security. “Millions of us,” he posted, “declare war back.”
The FBI also reported that they approached Tate about his posts on May 13 and he admitted to have made them. “Tate further told us,” the FBI said, “that he sometimes vents on social media due to the stress from his children, particularly when he is drinking alcohol, and claimed he didn’t mean anything from his posts.”
Because of the persistent references to a .270, the FBI believed he had an illegal rifle. The affidavit was seeking the court’s permission to search his house. They had already been conducting surveillance outside the home.
